called for an interview

I sent in my design portfolio to A&F last Wed, and I already got called for an interview for this Friday. I screamed like a little girl after I hung up the phone. I'm on cloud 9, and it doesn't look like I'm going to be coming down anytime soon.

my alias

Your Hillbilly Name Is...

Cooter Duke

Hillbilly Name Generator

signed my life away

Sorry for not posting frequently. My life has been nonstop. I submitted my portfolio to A&F on Wednesday. (I was shaking so bad just writing out the TO and From label you'd think I'd had Parkinson's.)

Then yesterday Jer and I signed our lives away to New Albany Park for a new townhouse. This place is so amazing. When we went to sign the contract we were told that there was one other model that they forgot about. We went and toured it and it blew us away. The outside is totally done but the inside is still under construction. We got to pick out our carpet and fixtures at no extra cost. It had a garage, a back fenced-in patio, finished basement with washer & dryer, stainless appliances in the kitchen, 2.5 baths, and it's way in the back away from the main road.

Now I'm experiencing all the crap with load applications, and rental history. It's very stressful but it will be so worth it. If everything goes through, we will move in May 1st.

The quest for A&F

It's finally done. Today I completed my design portfolio for A&F. I've went back and fourth for a year on designs I should include and the layout. I have to say, it looks damn good, I'd hire me :) I have 11 pages of my designs. The very last page I decided to do an "about the artist" page, which after writing, I'm starting to think it should be my cover letter.

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About the Artist

I've always been obsessed with three companies:

Oakley
A&F
Apple Computer

Each has their own unique design and the highest qualities of materials are always used. As a designer, I strive for perfection and I want to represent a company that does the same.

Oakley was the first company to catch my attention back when I was still in high school. I read an article in Wired magazine that went into detail on how Oakley invented materials to use in their high-tech sunglasses and how the company was about design first and profit second. I started deconstructing and redesigning Oakley's Ad concepts. From there I started to develop an appreciation for design.

Next on the list is Abercrombie & Fitch. In high school I wore baggy clothing branded with the Nike symbol. I was quiet and kept to myself. In my first year of college I made the transition from baggy Nike to baggy A&F. After wearing A&F for a year or so I started to notice a change in myself. I became more confident and started to feel like one of the "beautiful" people in the catalogs. My self esteem was boosted and the baggyness transitioned into tight fitting shirts. I collected the controversial catalogs and loved the edginess of the tee-shirt designs. Here is a company that is about pushing the envelope and not afraid of the outcome. I moved to Columbus keeping in the back of my mind that the A&F HQ was located there and hopefully one day I would get to work for the company that helped shape the person I am today.

Lastly, Apple Computer. Being an IT major in college, I was unexposed to the "other" computer. PC people are closed minded about Apple Computers because they are unfamiliar with the OS. It wasn't until I picked the minor of Graphic Design that I was exposed to the Mac platform. My opinion quickly changed and I began to appreciate the ease of use and the stability of the system. After moving to Columbus I got hired at Apple Computer in Easton. I became obsessed on "switching" PC users. It usually only takes a few minutes for a diehard Windows user to be surprised how simple and elegant our computers are.

After a short time with Apple, I was promoted to the store's Visual Manager. Being in charge of the look and feel of the store is amazing. I've been exposed to Apples design techniques which has helped me to realize the importance of "less is more." Being the stores Visual Manager can also be very frustrating at times. I have strong opinions of the designs and how they may look good in a "test" store but are not practical in the real world. For example, observing how customers actually interact with fixtures and displays are usually overlooked by the design team at corporate.

I have a strong passion for design and these three companies are an asset to the design world. I feel privileged for currently working for one of the listed. Being a Graphic Designer for Abercrombie & Fitch has morphed from a dream to an obsession. Each time an A&F employee comes into Apple to get their discount, I always ask how is it to work for them and each time they get a big smile and say "it's an amazing experience."

New Townhouse...maybe

Jer and I decided it's time to stop throwing money away on rent and actually buy a townhouse. We found an awesome one in New Albany (just outside Columbus and only 5min away from A&F HQ where I'm trying to get a design job).

It's 1600 square feet, with a 2 car garage for 150K. Not a bad price for the location but we're finding out all the taxes are going to kill us. We need to come up with a down payment of 30K for us to be able to afford the monthly payment. My aunt offered to give me 10K but that wont do anything for us. My mind is going so fast right now. If we stay in our current apartment for another year, we will have wasted 28K on rent over 3 years. Actually having a mortgage seems like you're building something with your life instead of just wasting it. 

I need some advice. Anyone have any experiences with condos or townhouses? Good, bad?

boredom

It's the little things...

... that can make my day.

More A&F

Here are some of the ones I came up with today. Done in Photoshop & Illustrator. I still have 13 more to do.

A&F designs

Okay, so I was laying in the tanning bed this morning and a bunch of perverted ideas for A&F designs popped into my head. Yesterday I was all depressed because I couldn't get motivated to design anything. Well, today I'm back on track. I have about 4 ideas I'm going to start working on. Here are a few from the past.

Comfort Zone

I'm off today, tomorrow and don't go into work till 5pm on Sunday for inventory. I look forward all week to having a day off then when I finally get it, I sit around and do nothing. I should be working on my portfolio for A&F but I'm too critical and feel I can do better then what I have to submit. I've reached that comfort zone with my current job where I have tones of perks and love the people I work with but I can't see myself doing it for the rest of my life. Being in this "zone" makes it really hard for me to be motivated to look for a better paying job. Blah, I even need motivation to finish this post ...

*sigh* I'll just post some random pictures to take up some space.

Another pair

If you've read my blog before, you'll know that I have a bit of an obsession with Oakley. I've loved the company and how much pride they take in creating little works of art for your face for years now.

I was heading back to A&F to exchange a shirt when I heard someone call my name. I had walked past the Sun Optics and the manager called me over to show me what he just got in. Without hesitation I handed over my bank card. These were the cheapest pair of O's I've bought at $96 bringing the grand total to 14 pairs.


After my new purchase I continued to A&F for my exchange. The sales girl told me the shirt I was trying to return had been recalled due to the crude humor on the front. I decided to keep it and add it to my collection of recalled A&F shirts.

That time of the month

About once a month (or two) I get up enough motivation to actually clean and dust my apartment. I got so much stuff it takes for ever. Everything always "looks" clean. I've never been one for throwing stuff on the floor or leave the sink piled up. I just usually end up getting side tracked half way through and instead of cleaning I start rearranging furniture and never finish. But today, I got up early and decided that today was the day that I was going to get everything done in two hours. I didn't get side tracked this time so now I got the rest of the day to kill.


I really lucked out when I got my apartment. I was actually supposed to get a much smaller one but on move-in day they didn't have the smaller one available for me, or the next size up. All I had to say was "that's poor management" and I got the 3rd biggest one for the small size price. What's even better is they didn't raise my rent after my first year. I really do want to move into a new shinny condo, but it's so hard to move out knowing that I'm getting one hell of a deal.
My computer room with my Oakley collection.



The huge poster on the wall is always commented by pizza delivery boys. Soon as you open my apartment door, that's what you see. When I was taking graphic Design classes in college, one of our projects as a class was to calibrate on a topic. At the time, 9/11 just occurred so everyone (except me) wanted to do our project on war. All the students had complex and expensive designs. One kid even got a huge oil barrel and rapped it in barbed-wire which was very dangerous to say the least.

I've always been very competitive so I racked my brain trying to think of a way to out-do the class. Every-time I was turning on the TV all I would hear was negative comments and every channel was talking about war. I was sick of it. I decided to take the simple approach. I created a huge 4'x12' poster that was nothing but text all dealing with the negativity of war. The only positive word in the poster is Freedom to which the poster is named. I was the first one done and got the highest grade. It hung in the schools' art gallery for a month.

At least I know I'm a dork

The last few minutes of work today. (click picture to watch)

Radio Cafe

15 of my photographs will be on display for a month at the Radio Cafe in Columbus. After they come down from the Cafe, they will be featured in a few galleries downtown. Prices range from $175 -$450. Please contact me if your interested. These images can been viewed in the Artwork section to the right ---->